SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. — A tragic discovery was made late Wednesday morning along Highway 166, where two men were found dead following a devastating car crash. According to the Santa Maria office of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), a CalTrans worker spotted an overturned pickup truck at approximately 10:30 a.m., hidden in dense brush down an embankment off the highway.
Authorities say the vehicle was not visible from the roadway, which is why it went unnoticed for an extended period. Emergency crews arrived shortly after the discovery and located two deceased individuals inside the vehicle, both of whom suffered fatal injuries from the crash.
The San Luis Obispo County Coroner’s Office is now working with the Santa Maria CHP to confirm the identities of the victims. The case has taken a deeper turn, as investigators believe the crashed vehicle may be connected to an ongoing missing persons investigation initiated by the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office earlier this month.
According to CHP officials, efforts had been made on June 18 to locate the vehicle and its occupants using ground units and aerial surveillance along Highway 166, but those attempts were unsuccessful at the time due to the vehicle’s location being obscured by thick vegetation and the steep terrain.
The circumstances leading up to the crash are under active investigation, and officials have not yet confirmed how long the vehicle may have been there before being discovered. No further details have been released regarding the identities of the two men or the missing person case believed to be linked to the incident.
Authorities are urging anyone with information related to the crash or the missing persons case to contact the Santa Maria CHP or the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.
This tragic incident serves as a sobering reminder of how quickly a situation can turn fatal on remote roadways like Highway 166, where visibility and access can pose serious challenges for search and rescue efforts.
